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Friday, February 01, 2013

With just a handful of small jobs left to do on our big pond project we are frequently asked what will we do next...Well to be honest we haven't entirely decided, sure we have a few ideas but as yet we haven't prioritised them all.One early project that we will do something with is the area beyond the filter house, we have referred to this as the working area, and it's our intention to erect a greenhouse here, once the area is tidy and all the remaining spoil from the pond is removed. We have a greenhouse that we blogged about when we collected it but I have been wondering if I should build one to fit the space better and also to allow it to be better insulated than a typical greenhouse. For us the key time of the year with a greenhouse is the winter, we use them to protect our more tender plants, and so provide some additional heat. Although there are numerous ways to do this, electrical heaters are generally the best for the plants as they provide air movement and don't add extra water vapour (as paraffin does for instance). However the downside of electrical heaters is that they can be on the expensive side to run without a decent level of insulation. Once the pond is finished I will draw up some plans and then we can decide what to do.

This area will become our "working area"

Outside the koi house is a small area we havent quite decided how to use, we have considered adding some garden furniture in this spot either a small bistro style set or possible a bench however it may become an area for plants instead... time will tell.We have also hinted at a project at the front of the house, we have been drawing up sketches for this for a while and have a few ideas. One element may be the addition of an arid bed to take advantage of the south facing aspect and radiated heat from the house and driveways. That idea seemed popular with several readers when we mentioned it before! The other aspect of this make over we are considering is the addition of period railings that would be in keeping with the 1930's period of the house. Again we have yet to decide fully on what we will do but this is a project I'm keen to progress.

Frequently used for storing building materials, perhaps this year will see the front look more like a garden.

A longer term plan is to give the patio near to the house (the top patio) a make over. We have numerous ideas for this area, most of which will be on a bigger scale than those mentioned above. Whatever we decide to do here will probably be in 2014, but will no doubt include a change to the style of the patio accented by new furniture. I am considering building seating integrated into new raised beds, but I think the design for this area will evolve later in the year. Currently everything in the area is moveable, with the plants you can see in pots. We tend to develop our ideas, although often have a good idea of what we want before we put pen to paper. The pond project layout for example was pretty much designed in a hotel room in Madeira, perhaps another holiday is needed!

The Top patio as it looked last summer, time for a change perhaps...

The Live Outdoors Garden from RHS Hampton Court Flower Show 2012, aspects of this design I would like to incorporate into our garden.

Mark has blogged recently about the "prequel pond" and that is another project we may revisit. I would like to amend some aspects of this pond. It was after all designed to be a goldfish pond, and it developed into a koi pond, with much of the filtration retro fitted. I would like to make it slightly deeper and improve the filtration, so this may be a project for later this summer.

The existing koi pond

So lots of ideas, and possibilities, we shall have to wait to see which will grab our attention and happen next, but of course we will share them with you all whatever we do.Gaz

25 comments
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Well it's seems like you two don't rest to long so it will be interesting to see what you do next. Of course you could sit back and just enjoy all this wonderful work you've done. :)Cher Sunray Gardens

Hi Gaz, you certainly don't run of ideas for projects :-)! With the big pond project not even fully completed I admire that you have the energy to think about other smaller and bigger project, already. Looking forward to seeing what you will be doing next in your fabulous garden. By the way, I love the area of your old goldfish pond.Christina

Wow so many projects, sometimes it takes a good break away from things to clear the head, and look at stuff in a different perspective. Looking forward to your next project. Love projects. The live outdoors garden looks fantastic, but your patio looks really great too.k.

Can't see either of you getting bored any time soon... Doing something interesting at the front of your house sounds like a great project - well, they all do, but in that case so many houses look so boring and detached from their period now, all block paving, wheelie bins and cars. An arid bed plus perhaps some Mark and Gaz designed railings sounds as if it would raise the tone! And what a great excuse for a holiday, to work out what you want to do with the top patio! Enjoy....

No doubt you'll have fun deciding what's next on the to do list. Now as for the thought of a holiday to enable the planning process that sounds like a most sound idea. By the way can I have your top patio if you have plans to get rid ?

Wow! where you an architect in your previous life? I love all your ideas and love following the blog. I would love to know where you put all your bits and bobs.... compost bins, plant pots, bags of compost, tools, hoses, large pots etc, the stuff I can never find space for. Also if you ever need to design another garden please feel free to use mine lol! xx

Always, always another project, another plan, one spinning off the other. When we moved to our current home, we looked at the place and said it had about thirty years worth of projects. Well, now we have been here 28 years, and I'm afraid the project list must be extended at least another 10 or 20 years! Projects will either keep you young or kill you! Best wishes for yours! I really look forward to see how they progress.

This gardening blog follows our journey as we create our Tropical and Exotic themed garden. We hope you'll enjoy the journey as much as we do. We started our Exotic Garden in 2005 and this site will show its development, as well as our travels, both abroad and within the UK to gardens, nurseries and friends.See also our full about page